Jesus said, ‘Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not let them be afraid.’

God of comfort, God of peace, we are often fear-filled people. We regard our world through eyes clouded by tears of fear and frustration, making it difficult to see anything which can bring us peace. And yet, in our anguish, we turn to you, opening our fear-filled hearts in prayer. We pray about:

The beheading in the Philippines of Canadian, John Ridsdel, by militants linked to the radical Abu Sayyaf group.

The EU’s toughest asylum law, adopted by the Austrian parliament, aimed at immigrants from Syria, Iraq, and Afghanistan, in their belief that refugees threaten national security.

The death of composer, singer, and musician, Prince, in the United States.

The struggle in Brazil to get ready for the Summer Olympics in the midst of political turmoil and economic recession, along with fears about the Zika virus.

The thousands of Nepali women being trafficked to China, India, and South Korea each year as sex workers and bonded laborers.

The controversial voter ID law upheld by District Judge Thomas Schroeder, as he stated that it does not disproportionately affect the poor and minority voters, something alleged by the U.S. Justice Department.

Jesus said, ‘Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not let them be afraid.’

You come to us in the midst of our fears, Gracious God, bringing us good news of hope; calling us to open our eyes to what is truly good in our world. And, so, even in the midst of our anguish, we open our hearts in prayer. We give thanks for:

Fifteen-year-old Omaima Hoshan, a Syrian refugee living in Zaatari refugee camp, who, inspired by the book, I Am Malala, is waging a campaign against child marriage.

Ecuadorian president, Rafael Correa, introducing new regulations to protect the waters around the Galapagos Islands as a marine preserve to protect endangered wildlife such as penguins and sharks.

The government of Columbia nearing a peace agreement with rebel forces to end a half-century of fighting, one of the longest conflicts in the world.

A key suspect in the November Paris bombings being handed over to authorities in France so that he can stand trial.

Jesus said, ‘Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not let them be afraid.’

And so we entrust our hearts and minds and lives to you, God of comfort, God of peace, and ask that you fill us with the peace that passes understanding, the peace that only you can give. Let it be so. Amen and amen.

Lord, in the strength of grace
With a glad heart and free … Charles Wesley

Today, in the grace of being Easter people, we pray for those who are supported by your grace alone in the turmoil and oppression of war, terror, famine, drought, prejudice, bigotry.

We pray for all in Guantanamo Bay military prison in Cuba. On Wednesday, a US official said that the Pentagon plans to transfer about a dozen (of the remaining 91) inmates to at least two countries.We, Easter people, pray.

We pray for members of Libya’s UN-backed Government of National Accord in Tripoli, defying threats by rival factions that it was not welcome in the capital, which effectively means that Libya has three governments.We, Easter people, pray.

We pray for Pakistan’s Christian community following the Easter bombing in Lahore. The government is reported to have no plans to amend the country’s blasphemy law, after protests in Islamabad supported it.We, Easter people, pray.

We pray for the more than 10,000 Afghan interpreters who have never received the promised visas for safe passage to the US when their jobs were complete.We, Easter people, pray.

We pray for the people of Myanmar, where a new president has been sworn in, while fighting continues in the northern Shan province and perhaps as many as 50% of the rural population are landless.We, Easter people, pray.

We pray for the people of Palestine who have once again marked Land Day on 30th March – the anniversary of the Israeli expropriation of land in 1976.We, Easter people, pray.

We pray for the people in the steel working areas of Wales and England, in need of a government who will protect them.We, Easter people, pray.

We pray … Lord, there is too much to hold in our minds … those killed and injured in a bridge collapse in Calcutta, India … those caught by tornadoes in Oklahoma, US … workers endangered building stadiums in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and in Qatar … Japanese whaling … You, Lord, take all our concerns and hold and answer them.

As we live in the grace of being Easter people, knowing we are saved and cherished, we pray for more than we can know – for your whole world.Amen

World In Prayer needs a few more writers and editors! Our team consists of 12-15 volunteers, from several different countries and continents. Each week, one person writes the prayers in response to international news. A second person then edits and posts the prayers online. Because we rotate who writes and edits, you would end up serving approximately once every five or six weeks.

Due to life changes, some of our team members need to cut back. So, we’re looking for people who deeply care about our world, see God’s hand at work throughout all creation and all persons, and are inspired to help write and produce these prayers. If you are interested, please send an email to worldinprayer@aol.com.
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Into your hands, O God, we commend our spirits. The spirits of the dead and dying… The spirits of those full of life. The spirits of the joyous… And the spirits of the fearful and uncertain. The spirits of the lost and lonely… And the spirits of those enwrapped in and wrapping others in love.

Especially, this week we commend into your hands
the spirits of those bowed down by modern slavery.

In Brazil, where the Ministry of Labor fined 340 Brazilian companies for using slave labor, including in sweatshops producing clothes, in farms, cattle ranches, timber companies, construction and charcoal production.

In Uganda, where a project by the Interior Ministry’s anti-human trafficking task force is trying to reach out to poor rural communities vulnerable to child trafficking by promoting literacy and increasing awareness. Children in the target areas are trafficked and forced to work in cattle herding, stone quarrying and brick making, lured into prostitution, abducted to fight in rebel armies, or even used as sacrifices in rituals some Ugandans think bring wealth and power.

Especially, this week we commend into your hands
the spirits of those rescued from child enslavement, but who still wait years for repatriation.

Due to lack of international coordination between nations to verify victims’ identities and trace their places of origin, repatriation can, in some cases, take years. Charities in South Asia are piloting new software which aims to speed up the repatriation of rescued victims of human trafficking who have been smuggled from countries such as Nepal and Bangladesh and forced into slavery in India.

Especially, this week we commend into your hands
the spirits of those in limbo as they travel far from home, seeking for safety.

The roughly 900 migrants rescued near the Greek island of Lesbos

Refugees from Syria hoping to travel through Austria to claim asylum in Germany – only this week Austria imposed a limit of 80 asylum applications will be accepted each day, and a maximum of 3,200 people will be allowed to travel through the nation.

The European Union has scheduled a special summit with Turkey on the migration crisis in early March

Pope Francis decried the “tragedy” of people who are forced to migrate, as he celebrated Mass in Mexico’s Ciudad Juarez city on the border with the United States. He climbed a ramp overlooking the Rio Grande that separates the city and El Paso, Texas, and laid flowers on a cross erected in memory of migrants who died trying to cross to the other side.

Especially, this week we commend into your hands
the spirits of those who hunger and thirst.

As many as 49 million people in southern Africa could be affected by a drought that has been worsened by the most severe and longest El Nino weather pattern in 35 years, according to the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP). An estimated 1 million African children are already severely malnourished.

Emergency food aid reached thousands of people uprooted by Boko Haram violence in Chad who had been cut off from help since November. However, the threat of Boko Haram militants and the difficulty in reaching some areas, partly because of the lack of roads, are hindering efforts to reach tens of thousands more people.

Humanitarian aid has also reached the embattled city center of Taiz in Yemen for the first time in months, following negotiations to allow supplies into the area described as being on the brink of famine.

Also this week, 100 truckloads of aid were given to about 100,000 people in five besieged areas of Syria in a U.N.-backed deal to deliver help to thousands of trapped residents. The U.N. estimates there are 486,700 people in around 15 besieged areas of Syria, and 4.6 million people in hard-to-reach areas. In some, starvation deaths and severe malnutrition have been reported.

Especially, this week we commend into your hands
the spirits of the parents who fear for their unborn children.

As the mosquito-born Zika virus spreads across Latin America, and the number of children born with microcephaly continues to rise

Into your hands, O God, we commend our spirits. The spirits of the dead and dying… The spirits of those full of life. The spirits of the joyous… And the spirits of the fearful and uncertain. The spirits of the lost and lonely… And the spirits of those enwrapped in and wrapping others in love.

Stir up our hearts, Lord God, to prepare the way of your Son.
By his coming give to all the people of the world knowledge of your salvation.From Prayer of the Day for Second Sunday of Advent, Common Lectionary

How much we want to pray this prayer, holy and compassionate God. How much we want to have our hearts stirred by the hope and truth of the coming, yet again, of the Christ Child into our world. How much we want to experience your saving grace. But as we look around at that world, the world of your creation, the world of which we are to be loving and careful stewards, the prayers catch in our throats and we are rendered dumb.

How can we pray with joy and hope when yet another mass shooting- the 355th this year- has happened in San Bernadino, California, USA, with 14 of your precious children dead?

How can we pray with joy and hope when more than 200,000 families in Nepal are in dire need and in danger of starvation and disease, as negotiations between the government and ethnic protestors continue to fail, the border is blockaded, and essential supplies cannot get through?

How can we pray with joy and hope when the HIV/AIDS incidence among youth in southeast Asia is climbing at an alarming rate?

How can we pray with joy and hope with bombings in Paris, France and Beirut, Lebanon?

How can we pray with joy and hope when toxic red mud threatens endangered wildlife in Brazil, the result of the collapse of an iron mine dam along the Rio Doce?

How can we pray with joy and hope when refugees from Syria, seeking to escape the never-ending war in that country, are being turned away in so many places?

And yet…and yet…the government of Peru has begun investigations into the forced sterilization of thousands of poor women.

And yet…the Department of Veterans Affairs in the United States is finally recognizing that equine therapy is an amazingly effective tool to assist soldiers in coping with PTSD.

And yet, this week, we remembered the anniversary of Rosa Parks’ courageous action on a bus in Montgomery, Alabama, U.S.

And yet a group of faithful women and men in Omaha, Nebraska, U.S., are gathering, week after week, to weave discarded plastic grocery bags into mats for the homeless to use for sleeping.

So, God of Love, perhaps the darkness of this Advent season is giving us a time and place to wait…in patience, in hope, for that coming-again time, for that new beginning which you promise and which only you can give. Perhaps this is the time to join our quivering voices in this prayer of tentative hope:

Yeah, okay, so maybe that’s the point, Lord?Maybe sometimes the miracle begins this time of year,by growing not fearful but faithful.

The radicals & the reflective & the revolutionaries;they are the ones on the road, in the fields, on the wall,pointing to the dawn of the new Kingdom coming,
pointing to the light that breaks through all things broken,pointing to a redemption always rising & Advent coming again.

Brilliant people don’t deny the dark; they are just theones who never stop looking for His light in everything.

And the truth in the hard, heart-breaking place is:You can’t snuff out hope, you can’t smother out hope,you can’t stamp out hope – because He is Coming.

And no matter the dark – make us the brave &brilliant who keep looking for the Light,
the light breaking into the heart-breaking places
& grow us always toward the coming Light.(Prayer by Ann Voskamp)

Gracious and holy one, God of all creation, God of all people everywhere,

it is so easy, as we journey through this season of Lent, to get lost in the wilderness of pain and sorrow we see in the world around us. Our sight scans across the globe and we readily fixate on the ugliness: the expressions of hatred and prejudice, the violence of wars, the brokenness of relationships at the personal and national and global levels. Our gaze locks on Hungary, Greece, India, Israel, Iraq, the United States, Syria, Somalia, Sierra Leone-– all places in which the darkness has taken hold, places in which the light of truth and justice seems but a flickering candle threatened by the winds of hopelessness.

And yet, the words of John’s Gospel remind us that you look at us and our world always with eyes of love.

For God so loved the world…

And so, God of love and justice and truth, God of hope and beauty and creativity, as

we lift our gaze to the reality of your love enacted on the cross of the Christ, we hear your call to look around us with the light of wonder in our eyes to behold the goodness which is abounding in our world, the goodness which your love will not let remain in darkness, but which you call into the light.

Looking with newly-opened eyes, we see and rejoice in:

The rescue of Baby Lilly in Utah in the United States, found after fourteen hours in a wrecked automobile in the river, alive in spite of the death of her mother.

The daring of Rima Karaki, a TV presenter in Lebanon, in ending an interview with Islamist Sheikh, Hani Sibai, after he spoke to her disrespectfully and demeaningly, even after she had donned a veil out of respect for him.

The condemnation by the United Nations High Commission for Human Rights of the murders of albino citizens in Malawi, Tanzania.

The green toilet being developed by Oxfam and the University of the West of England and being tested in Britain which uses urine to generate electricity, so it can be used in refugee camps to provide both sanitation and light.

The nation of Brazil opening their doors to nearly 2,000 refugees of the war in Syria.

The overwhelming response to the documentary, India’s Daughter, the story of the rape and murder of medical student, Jyoti Singh, by five young men, which is changing opinions about sexual violence against women in India and throughout the world.

And so, the words of John remind us that you look at us and our world always with eyes of love.

For God so loved the world…

Now, may the peace of the Lord Christ go with you; may God guide you through the wilderness and protect you through the storm; may God bring you home rejoicing at the wonders you have seen and experienced and known, today and every day as you stand in the light of God’s love. Amen.

He cried out, “I know who you are, the Holy One of God.” Mark1:24b (NRSV)

Surrounded by the presence of the Holy One of God, let us pray together.

Holy One, we gather in worship this morning seeking your presence, your grace and your wisdom. Humbly we gather to hear your words of hope and encouragement so that we may faithfully live out your message of justice and peace.

Confident that you have come to us, we offer our prayers for people and places close to our hearts and for the people and places that are unknown to us.

We offer prayers of healing for the 280 child soldiers who were freed in South Sudan. We pray that all children will be free to be children, to play, to laugh and sleep peacefully at night. We pray for all who work endlessly for the rights of children the world over.

We pray for the 43 students who went missing in September in the southern state of Guerrero, Mexico. We pray for their families and friends as they hear reports that the students may be dead.

We pray for all who are displaced. We pray for those who live in refugee camps and for all who live in captivity. We remember before you Kenji Goto of Japan.

We pray for the EU foreign ministers as they meet in Brussels. May they work together to find ways to bring peace and justice and stability to the EU.

We pray for your creation. As we hear reports of E. Coli in the water in Winnipeg, Canada; an earthquake in East Midlands, England; snow storms in North England and the North Eastern United States; the drought in São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, and Mina’s Gerais, Brazil. We pray for all who are affected by these events.

And now in the silence of our hearts we offer you the prayers that we carry with us this day.

Holy One, in all things for which we pray, give us the grace and wisdom to accept your will. All of this pray in Jesus name. Amen

A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. –John 13:34

Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. – Matthew 11:29

I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness. – John 12:46

The news this week has left me crying with the bereaved relatives and friends of 137 school-children and 5 teachers in Pakistan, “ENOUGH!”

In Gumsuri village, northern Nigeria, 33 people were murdered by Boko Haram and another 200 taken captive.

51 people are confirmed dead and more than 50 are still missing after a mud-slide in Java, Indonesia.

The worst drought in over 80 years is stalking huge areas around Sao Paulo, Brazil. Heavy rainstorms have temporarily broken the drought in California, USA but have not refilled the vastly depleted water table.

Australia is recovering from the siege in a Sydney cafe which resulted in 2 deaths and others injured and is now looking to improve its gun-controls.

Tugs and ships are being used as floating arsenals for private security firms fighting pirates in several areas of the world. The ships are often registered to countries which have no record of control or management of such items causing major concerns over security and accountability.

Greece is in turmoil, and is seemingly unable to appoint a new government leading to more chaos and insecurity.

The Russian ruble has gone into free-fall leaving ordinary Russians to pay the price.

Five people have died in Japan following heavy snowfall and vast tidal surges caused by unexpectedly low barometric pressure.

The fighting and political manipulation continues in Syria, Turkey, Iran, Iraq, the West Bank, Israel, Afghanistan, Somalia and so many other countries…

And we all live in the same small world, inter-connected, needing and being needed by each other. When will we stand together like the people of Pakistan and say, “Enough!” Where now, India, which has been antagonistic towards Pakistan since its inception, is now tweeting in the thousands messages of support under the hashtag IndiawithPakistan. A bereaved parent in Peshawar, Pakistan said “the smallest coffins are the heaviest ones to lift.”

The USA has dropped its decades long isolation policy against its near neighbor Cuba. At the same time as admitting that the torture and rendition policies used after 9/11 were ineffective in producing intelligence. Something that history made clear long ago. Other countries including the United Kingdom, Jordan, Egypt, Poland and others all were involved too although now desperately trying to shed responsibility or blame.

A young boy is being shunned in his village in China because he was born with HIV – a common reaction to those with this disease in China.

Lord, have mercy and forgive us our cruelty and lack of love for each other especially when we encounter differences.

Thankfully we hear of people celebrating differences and difficulties transforming them into challenges. The nativity plays put on by children with multiple health and learning disabilities, goes to the truth and heart of Advent and Christmas. Christ comes for us all, black, white, brown, yellow, male, female, transgender, able-bodied and those with life-limiting conditions whether of body or mind. So often, the worst things that happen are done by those who are deformed in their soul, but Christ is born for each one of them too.

These prayers from different faith traditions have helped me refocus on God, our hope and source of life.

Bahá’í – Be a breath of life unto the body of humankind a dew upon the human heart, and a fruit upon the tree of humility.

Christian – Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. Blessed be the Peacemakers, for they shall be called the Children of God.

Confucian – First there must be order and harmony within your own heart. Only then can there be peace and harmony in the world.

Hindu – Oh God, lead us from the unreal to the Real, from darkness to light, from death to immortality. God’s peace, peace, peace to all.

Jain – Peace and universal love is the essence of all the teachings. Forgive do I creatures all, and let all creatures forgive me.

Jewish – Oh come let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, that we may walk the paths of the Most High. And we will beat our swords into ploughshares and our spears into pruning hooks.

Muslim – Praise be to the Lord of the Universe. Who has created us and made us into tribes and nations that we may know each other, not despise each other.

Native African – For you are one who does not hesitate to respond to our call, you are the cornerstone of peace.

Native American – Give us the wisdom to teach our children to love, to respect and to be kind to one another that we may grow with peace in mind.

Sikh – Know that we find God when we love, and only that victory endures in consequence of which no one is defeated.

Zoroastrian – We pray to God that understanding will triumph over ignorance, that generosity will triumph over indifference, that trust will triumph over contempt, and that truth will triumph over falsehood

God of Advent, / among refugees and outcasts / you breathed your first breaths. / In the cry of a newborn child you proclaimed / Emmanuel, God-with-us. / Come, God of the margins, / breathe into us the spirit of longing for your Kingdom. / Come this Advent to make us dream of / and work for / a better world of justice and freedom. / Come Lord, come. / Amen. (Dave Broom, Iona Community)

Stir up your power, Lord Christ, and come. With your abundant grace and might, free us from the sin that would obstruct your mercy, that willingly we might bear your redeeming love to all the world.

We long for this stirring, O God, as we look around our world in this holy season of Advent, as we see the darkness into which we long for your light of justice and hope to shine.

In the United States, where both black and white have been deeply affected by the deaths of young black men at the hands of the police.

We pray for them all.

In the death of Palestinian cabinet minister, Ziad Abu Ain, in a clash with Israeli troops during a rally on the West Bank.

We pray for them all.

In the legal confrontation between big Pharma and the government of India over the push for the restructuring of India’s drug patent laws, which would be at the expense of the poor.

We pray for them all.

In the economic report that there are an estimated 2.4 billion people worldwide living on less than $2 per day, even as the wealth of the wealthy grows exponentially.

We pray for them all.

Stir up your power, Lord Christ, and come.

We long for this stirring, O God, as we look into the darkness of these winter nights and seek for the light of justice.

In the revelations about the use by of extreme interrogation techniques- torture-

by the American CIA, in spite of supposed adherence to the Geneva Convention against torture.

Our hearts are heavy as we pray.

In the extremities of weather across the globe, with people suffering the effects of storms in the Philippines and the eastern United States and California.

Our hearts are heavy as we pray.

In the continued arrests of pro-democracy demonstrators in Hong Kong.

Our hearts are heavy as we pray.

In the report released in Brazil about the systematic murder and torture in the 20th century by the military dictatorship.

Our hearts are heavy as we pray.

Stir up your power, Lord Christ, and come.

We long for this stirring, O God, as we look into the darkness, and seek for the light of hope.

In the just-concluded meeting of officials from 158 countries in Vienna, Austria, where they set the goal of working toward a world free of nuclear weapons.

We pray with hopeful hearts.

In Lima, Peru, where diplomats from 196 countries are gathered for talks on climate change, with the possibility of a historic agreement on combating global warming.

We pray with hopeful hearts.

Gather all of these concerns into your loving, compassionate, eminently just arms, O God, for they are too heavy for us to bear alone. We rest in your promise to be with us always, and we long for the coming again of the Prince of Peace, the Mighty Counsellor, the Immanuel.

One of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. “Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?” He said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”Matthew 22:35-40 NRSV

What is this love you ask of us, Jesus? What does it look like?

I’m sure that it’s not a warm fuzzy feeling, or that intense desire we feel toward one another. That kind of love can be good and healthy, but I’m sure that’s not what you mean.

I’m sure it’s not familial love, either. After all, you tell us that we cannot follow you unless we are willing to hate our brothers, sisters, mother and father. (Something we really need to clarify with you, by the way…)

And you don’t mean to love God like I love my country, or my alma mater’s football team, do you? Because that love can fade and is often fickle.

What does this love look like? Heart, soul, mind, and strength love…

Is it that love of which we sing, that love that will not let us go? Is it that love that understands that we are not individuals, but rather connected to one another and to you? Is this heart-mind-soul-strength love a living out of that connection, that attachment with you, O God, and creation?

If it is, if that is the love on which our history, our future, our lives hang, than we can do no other than lift our world up to you in prayer. For the joys of others are our joys and their pain is our pain.

So we lift our prayers to you:

– Prayers of celebration as Malala Yousafzai from Pakistan became the youngest person to receive the Nobel Peace Prize, just over two years after nearly being killed in an attack returning from school.

– Prayers for all political leaders, but especially for Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff, who was re-elected in a hotly-contested race.

– Prayers for those in captivity, whether in physical, emotional, mental or spiritual bondage, but especially for those held by Boko Haram, who kidnapped at least 30 more boys and girls in Nigeria over the past weekend.

– Prayers for students and teachers around the world, especially those who face violence in the schools, like the teacher in Estonia who was shot and killed in the classroom by a student this past week.

– Prayers for those throughout the Middle East who are deeply impacted by the beliefs and actions of ISIS. Including the people of Iraq whose cultural heritage is threatened as statues, reliefs, shrines and mosques are destroyed or sold.

– Prayers for our own families, friends and neighbors who have their own celebrations and struggles.

May your presence be with each and every one of us, reminding us to love, to recognize and celebrate our connection with you and with one another.

As the UN marks the International Day of Peace and the World Council of Churches invites us to join the International Day of Prayer for Peace this September 21st, let us pray for peace in our hearts and minds, in our families, in our communities, in our nations, and throughout the world.

Our Lord Jesus Christ, Prince of Peace, come among us. Be formed within us. And change us into your likeness that there may be peace throughout the world.

May peace come in the form of reconciliation, in Scotland, where the referendum on Independence, no matter the outcome, will leave many heartbroken. May there be peace.

May peace come in the form of courage, in Guinea, where fear and distrust in wake of the Ebola outbreak led residents to beat and kill a delegation of health workers and journalists. May there be peace.

May peace come in the form of welcome, in Pozzallo, Sicily, which has become a major processing point for migrants and refugees from Libya. May there be peace.

May peace come in the form of openness, in Pakistan, where Muhammad Shakil Auj, a liberal Muslim scholar who had been accused of blasphemy, was shot dead in Karachi. May there be peace.

May peace come in the form of an end to violence, in Syria, in Iraq, in Ukraine, and elsewhere where bloodshed, domination, and terror hold sway. May there be peace.

May peace come in the form of an end to poverty, in Brazil, where Osmar Paiva Camela, a retired police officer who worked for the people in the favelas of Rio de Janeiro, was assassinated last Monday. May there be peace.

May peace come in the form of each of us, day by day, in the places where we live and work and worship. May we be your bearers of peace, of reconciliation, of courage, of welcome. Work in us and through us to end poverty and violence. May we seek peace and pursue it, by seeking you and knowing you, seeing you in every instance of peace, and being the peace we wish to see in the world.

Through you, O God, through your Son Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit, we pray: may there be peace. Amen.

Gratitudes

December 28, 2013

In October, Pope Francis formally gave permission for Roman Catholic masses in the southern Mexican state of Chiapas to be celebrated in Tzotzil and Tzeltal, the two native languages that are the only languages spoken by 65% of the population – and Christmas masses were for the first time celebrated in those languages. For this […]